Julian O’Neill<\/span>BBC News NI crime and justice correspondent<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Race hate crime is at a record level in Northern Ireland, new data released from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) shows.<\/p>\n In the 12 months to the end of June, there were 1,329 crimes with a race motivation.<\/p>\n This is up by 434 year-on-year and is the highest figure since records began in 2004.<\/p>\n Responding to the new data, Amnesty International said: “This has been a year of hate and fear in Northern Ireland and a shameful new record.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The figures include two cycles of street disorder in Belfast and Ballymena linked to protests over immigration.<\/p>\n The number of racially-motivated incidents over the period has also risen sharply to 2,049.<\/p>\n Around half the incidents occurred in the Belfast City Council area.<\/p>\n For the previous 12 months, the figure was 1,403.<\/p>\n In contrast, crimes and incidents linked to sectarianism show little change.<\/p>\n The number of sectarian crimes was recorded as 611.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Nigerian woman Uche Ukeje lives in Strabane with her two daughters, aged 14 and 24. <\/p>\n Their home in the Ballycolman estate was sprayed with racist graffiti in July, including the words “immigrants out”. <\/p>\n The police are treating it as a racially-motivated hate crime.<\/p>\n At the time, the family decided to stay after neighbours and the wider community rallied round.<\/p>\n But Uche said her daughters were still frightened and she was now thinking of leaving Strabane for good, for their sake.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n She said she has good neighbours and would love to stay but the incident is still affecting her daughters.<\/p>\n “I got a lot of support from the community,” she said, “but the younger one especially is too frightened, most of the time in the night she’s awake.<\/p>\n “I’m trying to persuade her but she’s no longer happy staying there.<\/p>\n “They don’t feel safe staying here any more.”<\/p>\n Ms Ukeje said she was now considering moving to Belfast or London, her daughters’ preferred option.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty’s Northern Ireland director, said: “Behind these figures are real people, real families, living in terror simply because of the colour of their skin or where they come from.<\/p>\n “This hasn’t happened in a vacuum.<\/p>\n “This has been a crisis developing for years, fuelled by complacency and inaction.”<\/p>\n He called on the Northern Ireland Executive to show “decisive leadership” and deliver a new anti-racism strategy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/4c6c\/live\/0dba4f20-4915-11f0-abce-f7ad177a3bf6.jpg.webp\")
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